Thanks for the references Tex. Strip away the deaming parts, and it's nearly a perfect post!
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "WillyTex" <willy...@...> wrote: > > > > > > It WOULD be a shock, although a pretty short one, > > > if if all fades to black at the end... > > > > TurquoiseB: > > Tibetan rebirth cycle matches with my subjective > > memories of past lives and the transit through > > the Bardo... > > > So, Turq is a 'TB' (True Believer). > > Upon death, the individual soul-monad rests in the > Tibetan Heaven, the Bardo state, and then after a > little while, gets re-born in another human body. > > The purpose of life is to unite the self with the > Self, and to attain Unity Consciousness, a state > of enlightened awareness, which gives life meaning. > > In Turq's religion, God is Karma, a religion Turq > read about in a book and/or a spiritual cult guy > told him about it. > > Just speaking for myself, I'm glad Turq finally > came out of denial and defined his own spiritual > path! > > Read more: > > 'The Tibetan Book of the Dead' > The Great Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States > By Guru Padmasambhava > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_Buddhism > > 'Surfing the Himalayas' > A Spiritual Adventure > By Frederick Lenz > St. Martin's Griffin, 1996 > http://tinyurl.com/y9c6c8n > > 'A Separate Reality' > Further Teachings of Don Juan > by Carlos Casteneda > Pocket Books, 1973 > http://tinyurl.com/ybfh4ym > > > As I suggested earlier, I don't worry about it > > terribly much. If "fade to black" turns out to > > be the reality, what will be there left of "me" > > to notice? My belief in reincarnation and the > > Tibetan rebirth cycle matches with my subjective > > memories of past lives and the transit through > > the Bardo in previous life-death-rebirth cycles, > > but that could just be imagination AFAIK. > > > > The issue in the Tibetan forms of Buddhism that > > I admire -- as, interestingly, the issue in forms > > of shamanism or occultism such as those popularized > > by Carlos Castaneda -- is remarkably pragmatic and > > liberating IMO. They don't believe that much, if > > any, thought needs to be given to "future lives" > > or what happens after we did. The only thing that > > "matters" is this life and what happens *before* > > we die -- right here, right Now. > > > > The only "measure" of one's "evolution" or "score" > > in terms of karma is (in their view) one's state > > of attention right here, right Now. "How am I > > doing karmically" is literally the same question > > as "What is my current state of attention?" > > > > In the Tibetan model, based on a belief in rein- > > carnation, "what matters" is how much awareness > > and clarity and compassion one can bring to the > > moment of one's death. In their view, the more > > clarity of awareness one brings "with them" to the > > Bardo can determine the easiness or uneasiness of > > that transition, and help determine the nature of > > the next birth, and how much awareness one gets to > > "start with" in it. > > > > Interestingly enough, in Yaqui shamanic traditions > > some of the teachers I've met admit that there > > might be such a thing as reincarnation, but they > > choose to never dwell on it or consider it because > > in their system it is irrelevant. Their idea of a > > "goal" in life is the cultivation of awareness (or > > in their model, "personal power") to as great a > > level as possible, given the length of one's life- > > time. What happens after that is in their view not > > relevant; it's a Here And Now kinda study. > > > > I resonate with this. While I accept the likelihood > > of the multi-lifetime model, I don't particularly > > "count on it." Like the Tibetans and like the shamans, > > my "score" in this life depends on the state of atten- > > tion I can "wear" during my life, not on anything > > that happens after it. I think this is a preferable > > 'tude to kicking back and assuming that one "has time" > > to work things out in future incarnations if one does > > not get them handled in this one. > > > > With that 'tude, I somehow suspect that I'll approach > > the moment of my own death more easily than some who > > are beset with guilt over all the things they "did > > wrong," or who are concerned with going to Hell or > > looking forward to going to Heaven. *Or* looking for- > > ward to the next incarnation. All of those concerns > > are either past or future, and the business of > > spiritual development seems to me to be all about > > Here And Now. > > > > Thanks for all the great raps, Lurk. It's been a real > > pleasure, and a real change from the normal level of > > discussion here. > > >
